Hello all! The Bonine family has collectively decided to make Teyia a permanent part of their family. Her story is a hard one, filled with abuse, neglect, and more rejection than any young person should ever know in such a short lifetime. She has not been in contact with her biological mother or father in many years when they decided they didn't want to care for a child any longer. She was left with her mother's parents for a time, and eventually, those grandparents decided that they did not want to be responsible for her any longer either and asked her to leave their home. It seems unlikely that two families would just dispense with a young girl with no reason or provocation, but truly that is what happened. Teyia has never been in trouble and typically doesn't make choices that would get her in trouble! It is simply an unfortunate family into which she was born. With no one else to look to, Teyia reached out to a high school friend (Addison) for help. Addison, days away from moving off to college, gave her April's number and suggested that she call should she need an adult, knowing her mom would be more than willing to help in a time of need. Bravely, having only met April a couple of times, Teyia reached out to ask if April could help her figure out her new solo adult life. April, not knowing the full extent of the difficulty Teyia had already faced, agreed to help get her settled in her new apartment. It soon became apparent that she would need more than just suggestions or how-to's. Without a driver's license or a car, Teyia had no way to get to and from work or school. April stepped in to help her get where she needed to go and then took that opportunity to get to know her as she taught her how to drive, and Teyia eventually earned her driver's license. Gary and April, along with April's parents, were able to help Teyia get a new-to-her car. With two jobs, and help from April and Gary teaching her how to manage her money and time, Teyia manages her life well. She became a regular for dinner at the Bonine household, even helping with Luke's chemistry homework, a subject Teyia enjoys and is very knowledgeable in! After a few months of spending time with this new family, a tough situation left an open seat in the family's long-planned cruise vacation, and Teyia was able to join them. The situation was an incredible blessing in disguise because it was on that cruise that the entire Bonine family felt convinced that Teyia was meant to be a Bonine. In December, April and Gary asked Teyia if she would consider being adopted into the family for real. After a few days of prayerful consideration, Teyia decided yes, that she would in fact like for Gary and April to be mom and dad legally, though she had already given them those names in her heart. April and Gary have considered Teyia a daughter long before they asked her to make it legal.

The Bonine family is humbly asking for your support to make this adoption happen. More than just financially, they are asking for prayer. We ask that the Lord be present in every step of this process and that He gives each of them a testimony of His goodness. Adoption is such a beautiful picture of His love for us, and we want to glorify Him for the gift that is Teyia becoming a Bonine.